This invention relates to cordless, cellular, and PCS telephone systems and more particularly, to an arrangement for transferring user data via a wireless telephone.
Within the prior art, various transaction devices have been utilized to allow individuals to perform transactions. These transactions may be to purchase merchandise or services or maybe to gain access to a secure area. Among the commonly used transaction devices is a credit card with a magnetic strip that identifies the credit card account of the individual. The standard credit card has no capability of receiving information from the transaction unit utilized to read the credit card. However, various types of smart cards do have the ability to store transactional information and to later reproduce this transaction information. For example, it is possible to have a smart card that is utilized as a standard credit card but receives information from the transactional unit defining what was purchased. In addition, the smart card can organize this information for later transmission to a personal computer via a physical link.
Similarly, other types of transactions involve such things as entering secure areas. Because of the need to preserve proprietary information, or restrict access to dangerous physical locations, many building facilities have secure areas which can only be accessed by designated people. Access to these secure areas is controlled by identification of personal features of an individual, keyed or unkeyed locks, and identification badges such as cards with magnetic strips. The cards with magnetic strips are similar to credit cards or smart cards.
The problems that exists with the prior art transaction devices fall into three major categories. First, these devices require that the transaction unit have a special interface for reading information from the device. The special reading facility may take the form of physical contact such as in a credit card application or may allow limited wireless reading of the transaction device by the transaction unit using, for example, electromagnetic transmission. However, even in the situation where the transaction device communicates information via electromagnetic transmission, the transaction unit must be specifically equipped for the particular type of electromagnetic transmission. The second problem is the proliferation of credit cards, check books, debit cards, and security cards that the average individual must carry. Third, is the amount of time required to complete the transaction. For example, when a credit card is used to purchase groceries at a supermarket. First, the groceries must be rung up; and then, the credit card entered and verified before the transaction can be completed.
The foregoing problems are solved and a technical advance is achieved by the utilization of a wireless telephone to function as a transaction device. In a first embodiment, the wireless telephone places a call to a site computer controlling a transaction unit. For example, the transaction unit may be a cash register at a supermarket. The wireless telephone then transfers to the transaction unit account information specifying the type of account against which the transaction is to be billed and identification of that transaction. The site computer controlling the transaction unit responds with a transaction number. The user of the wireless telephone then confirms the transaction when the correct transaction number is displayed on the transaction unit. After the transaction is completed, the site computer controlling the transaction unit transmits the data defining the transaction to the wireless telephone which stores this information in a database associated with the account against which the transaction was charged. Advantageously, before placing the call to the site computer, the wireless telephone requests personal identification information from the user to assure that the user is authorized to make the transaction. Advantageously, within a large facility such as a supermarket, only the site computer controlling the cash register needs to have a communication link over which the wireless telephone can communicate account data.
In a second embodiment, the transaction number is not visually displayed but rather is transmitted over a second transmission media to the wireless telephone confirming that the correct transaction is taking place.
Advantageously, by utilizing the transaction number, the wireless telephone can transmit the account information to the site computer well in advance of the actual financial transaction taking place. For example, within a supermarket, the user could request that the wireless telephone transmit the account information while the user was standing in line for the cash register. In such a situation, the user would have to specify the cash register to the wireless telephone.
Advantageously, the wireless telephone can place a call to a personal computer of the user and transfer the account information to the personal computer. This alleviates the need of the user physically attaching the wireless telephone to the personal computer. It is assumed that the personal computer performs the necessary financial and database functions on account information as required by the user. Also, the wireless telephone can request that the site computer transfer the account data to the personal computer via a communication link.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of illustrative embodiments of the invention considered together with the drawing.